Finding out about hep C will help you plan for the future. Our Hep C Action Newsletter Program can help guide you through testing and treatment.
Why Staying on Treatment Is Important
Taking hep C therapy requires your active participation and a strong commitment to finish what you’ve started. By following your doctor's instructions and taking your medication as directed, you are giving yourself the best chance of reducing the virus to a level where it cannot be seen in your blood (a virologic response). You may also be able to help improve the condition of your liver (a histologic response) by decreasing inflammation.
Of course, treatment may not always be easy. People will experience varying degrees of side effects that make taking medication difficult. Should you have any questions or concerns about side effects or your medication, be sure to talk with your doctor immediately—and don’t make any changes to your therapy without talking to your healthcare team first.
Your doctor or nurse may tell you that the way you feel during treatment is “normal” or that the benefit of taking the medication should outweigh the side effects you are experiencing. But you are the one who will make the choice and commitment to continue your treatment. Make sure you have all the facts to help you get through it.
Read Patient Stories for more about the variety of experiences people have with hep C diagnosis and treatment.
Remember that interferon is similar to a substance that your body routinely makes—and your body makes more of it when you have an illness such as the flu. One of the reasons that you feel bad when you have the flu is that higher levels of interferon cause you to have certain symptoms, including fever, chills, headaches, and muscle and joint aches. But your body’s interferon is fighting the influenza virus—so you “put up” with these symptoms to get rid of the virus.
In the case of the flu, you don’t have any choice about “using” interferon—it is a natural part of your immune system. But your body’s interferon is not as effective against the hep C virus, so you have to take active treatment steps. As you might expect from this information about interferon, treatment with pegylated interferon may cause many flu-like symptoms. For some people, these symptoms may occur early in treatment but lessen as the weeks of therapy go on.
Here is the part that takes courage: you have to choose to continue on a course of treatment that may be causing you to feel “sick” in order to fight a virus that may not have been making you feel sick. In a sense, your treatment plan is like an investment in your health. Short-term costs can be unpleasant but may lead to long-term gains. There are no guarantees or easy answers, but hep C can cause serious complications, especially if left untreated. Remember that the most serious effect of hep C is on your liver—and damage to the liver can take time (even decades) to emerge.
Other common, but often manageable, side effects associated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin therapy include:
- Flu-like symptoms, including fever, chills, and muscle aches
- Fatigue
- Upset stomach, nausea/vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty in controlling blood sugar levels (which may lead to diabetes)
- Skin reactions (such as rash, dry or itchy skin, temporary hair loss, or redness and swelling at the site of injection)
- Temporary hair thinning
- Trouble sleeping
Possible serious side effects, which your doctor or nurse can talk to you about, include mental health problems, blood problems, infections, and problems with your lungs, eyes, immune system, and heart. Your healthcare team may treat these side effects, change the amount of medication you take, or stop your treatment.
